Threading method and mechanism



E. H. BARKER 1,805,126

May 12, 1931.

THREADING METHOD AND MECHANISM Filed Nov. 10, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W 7163565: 3 g In?) W $1 Edzgiibjifiarjflt Attoryugy.

May 12, 1931. E. H. BARKER THREADING METHOD AND MECHANISM Filed Nov. 10, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'EdWHB Zrm l A n, V

Patented May 12, 1931 eras-r E EDW'IN I-I. BARKER, OF M OYLAN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO A. H. WIRZ, INC., A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA THREADING METHOD AND MECHANISM Application filed November 10, 1928. Serial No. 318,334.

My invention relates to methods and apparatus for forming threads upon discharge nipples of collapsible metallic tubes.

The main purpose of myinvention is to '5 form the discharge nipple upon the end or" a collapsible tube initially as a thin cylinder free from threads and then to press the metal bodily into the form of a thread upon the cylindrical wall. The pressing is prefer- .to ably progressive along the length of the thread and by means of an internal tool pressing outwardly.

' A further purpose is to roll a thread from the inside outwardly from a thin-walled discharge nipple oi the collapsible tube by progressively advancing an internal rotatable tool over, the internal groove path corresponding to the rib of the thread, and at the same time positioning the tool in the plane 2Q of the groove which it is rolling and providing for its rotation.

A further purpose is to support the thinwalled discharge nipple of a collapsible tube by an external thread form and to progressively' press an internal diagonally placed rotatable roller progressively along the path inside of the rib of the thread, reversing the direction of travel to free the tool from the nipple.

A further purpose is to form the thread of a thin-walled collapsible tube discharge nipple progressively from the rear of the nipple to the front of the nipple and preferably from the inside outwardly.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims.

My invention relates both to the methods involved and to mechanism by which the methods can be carried out.

Figure 1 is aside elevation, and Figure 2 is a central vertical section through the plane of the paper in Figure 1, showing one form or" my invention.

Figures 3 and 4 are end elevations in different positions of the parts, showing the structure seen in Figures 1 and 2.

' Figures 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged, fragmentary, central, longitudinal sections showing W detail of the structure of Figures l4, with the parts in different relative positions.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary end elevation omitting the tube, showing parts within it seen in Figure 4.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary section showing a tube as made prior to my invention.

In the drawings similar numerals indicate like parts.

In collapsible tubes as commonly made prior to my invention and in the nearest construction to my invention known to me it has been customary to ext-rude the tube from a perforated dished blank which is much thicker than the breast or shoulder of a tube, but otherwise of about the same diameter and shape. The tube is extruded instantaneously to include a thick-walled discharge nipple having a discharge passage of substantially uniform thickness, initially closed at the end and connecting by a relatively thin shoulder or breast portion with a somewhat thinner shell or body within which the material is placed which is to be held by the tube. The construction is shown generally in Figure 9 in which the initially closing front portion 10 is shown by dot and dash and the thickwalled nipple 11 and breast 12 are shown in full lines. The tube is externally cut to remove the closed front portion and to form a thread 13 after the extrusion. The thread is sometimes rolled in from the outside, the whole length at a time, squeezing the plastic metal from the groove spaces and filling out the rib portions.

The thin tube body wall 14 is not shown here but appears in other figures.

Some idea of the delicacy of the tube walls as ordinarily constructed may be formed from the fact that one standard shavingcream tube supplied to the market in great quantity has a body wall thickness of less than five thousandths of an inch and a breast or shoulder wall thickness of approximately fifteen thousandths of an inch. The thickness of the nipple wall in this form has been somewhat more than one tenth of an inch. These dimensions are given by way of illustration only and not in limitation.

The long outlet passage 15 has been OlDJGO- tionable because of its length, but primarily because a construction having a thick enough wall to permit the cutting or plastic rolling of the external. thread requires an excessive amount of metal in the nipple, which. is in the way in interfering with discharge of the contents but which involves a conf-ziderable a ditional expense for the extra metal.

Almost all of these tubes made of pure tin. In some. where the content is not capable of contamination, lead and other cheapening alloys are added.

My invention is designed to provi de a thinwalled nipple having a substantially uniforn'i sinuous wall thickness externally threaded and providing a corresponding internal contour having grooves corresponding in position with the external ribs, and internal ribs corresponding to the external (rrooves. In the best embodiment known to me I roll the thread progressively from the rear towa rd the front of the nipple.

My invention is not intended to modify the body of the tube nor the breast or shoulder 12 leading to--or from the n1; ale. The body and breast or shoulder may be oi any desired form, and oi existing or other sizes and thicknesses. I'Iowever with my invention the extruded nipple 15 is also of thin material, comparable in thickness with the thickness of the breast or shoulder. a breast or shoulder having a thickness of fifteen thousandths of an inch. I have successfully used nipple wall thicknesses approximating twenty thousandths of an inch.

The front 01"- the nipple 'tially clos d at 16 about an opening; 17, corlespondin in this particular with the initially closed end 16 and outer portion 1? of Figure The thin walls a; the nip into a thread convenience in removal or an i ..l' ing tool rather than of an ite form. This makes th than the initial diamet In the me hod and illustration I provide form 18 whose LYVO 13 swine about any convenient retailing; screw 19. They are held together in closed position about the tubular nipple 15 by a rota bolt 20 and nut 21. A fixed block 22 assures cen er-in oi? the parts in closed position. As regards ny broader invention this structure is a convcntional showing of a means for closing and permitting opening: of an external threat. form about the nipple.

I find it desirable to make the thread form fit the nipple rather giving good support and a holding the nipple at this point.

The body of the tube surrounds an internal tubular mount 23 within which. the threading; member is supported to rotate and prefer- .lly grip to ably also to revolve at the same time that the tool is progressed to correspond with the pitch of the thread and retracted to remove it from the thread after the thread has been found.

The threading tool which I find most officient is a roller 24: which is mounted diagonally with respect to the axis of the tube in order that the roller may correspond in general position with the portion of the thread which is being traced at the time its angularity is desirably that ol the lead of the thread. The diagonal axis rotation of the roller is secured. by mounting the roller upon a spindle 25 which fits into a bearing 26 diagonal to the axis of the shaft 27 by which the roller is carried or upon which it is supported. A conventional means of holding the spindle in position is shown in the groove 27 in the spindle surface and a threaded. pin 28 which fits into the groove and whose threaded end 29 is screwed into a threaded openin, in the shaft.

While the tube is being threaded it is held from movement with respect to the mount or support not only by whatever grip may be provided through engagement of the parts of the exterior thread form with the nipple but by means of any suitable grips 30 which the external surface of the tube and keep it fixed with respect to the mount. These grips may be carried by the parts 18. 18 of the thread form, for example.

The grips 30 have quite an important function in preventing the reaction pressure upon the tool from bending the mount 23 away "from the part of the thread which is heiuo; formed.

The shaft 27 is shown for present puras rotated by a handle. It is supported within the tubular mount Its thread 31 fits within a corresponding thread 32 in a sleeve The thread 31 has the same pitch as that to be formed in the nipple. The sleeve 33 is threaded at 34 to screw into the he ck of the mount 23.

The position of starting of the roller with respect to the thread intended to be formed adjustable to make it correspond on the inside properly with the thread groove in the term on the outside by adjustment of the sleeve 33 within the mount 23.

Since the threads 31 and 34; are of d.ifl:'erent pitch, rotation of the threaded sleeve 33 while the shaft is held from rotation will result in moving the shaft 27 longitudinally within mount 23 so as to secure the proper longitudinal adjustment of the roller. Adjustment can be obtained by rotating the sleeve 33 and the shaft 27 together. Lost motion of the thread 31 within thread 32 of sleeve 33 may be taken up by the threaded nut 35 engaging with the threads 34: of the sleeve and with the threads 31 of: the spindle.

After the position of the operating tool (wheel) has been adjusted so as to make the thread groove traversed by it correspond in position with the thread groovein the outside form, successive tubes are placed upon the mount 23, the partsof the external thread form are closed about the nipple of each tube in turn and the handle is turned in one direction to cause the tool to traverse the thread path until the thread has been formed to the longitudinal extent intendedand then in the opposite direction to withdraw the tool from the nipple in which the thread has just been formed.

The outer (closing) portion 36 of metal at the end of the tube is preferably left until the last in order that the stiffening of this material may additionally support the nipple during formation of the thread. It is then cut. A cutter for this face is shown at 37. This cutting should be done at high speed. The cutter 37 is preferably formed with a spiral face 38 about an open center 39. The extension of the spiral face throughout a considerable part of the circumference of the hollow tool is found to be quite advantageous in preventing objectionable curling of the chips cut and keeping the chips from interfering with the operation.

It will be seen that progressive threading following the path of one turn of the thread at a time has a considerable advantage in dealing with the thread in thin and relatively weak metal walls and that rolling of the thread into the path has a considerable ad vantage in the tracing of the contours of the individual turns of the thread.

The use of any roller willbe seen to be better than theuse of a non-rotatable tool for the purpose of progressively forming the individual turns of'the thread since the nonrotatable tool will rub the thin, soft metal and will-tend to tear it, whereas the wheel will gently stretchthe-metal at the same time it is progressively rolling upon new surfaces along the path of the thread and will not slide upon nor be so likely to tear the metal as would-the non-rotatable tool.

It will alsov be evident that it is quite desi-rable tohave the diameter of therolling tool as large as possible in order that it may roll the metal out instead of shoving the metal ahead of it and that this question of size of tool-is one involving considerable difficulty because of the necessity for-introducing the tool within the very small inside diameter of the discharge nipple. This particular difficulty has been solved in the present instance by the diagonal mounting and diagonal rotation of the wheel by which a large wheel has been accommodated in the threaded groove.

Because the wheel is mounted with its cen ter to one side of theaxis'of thethread and diagonally to parallel thethreadat that side of its path, the wheel lies within this part of the; thread for a considerable angular part small enough to fit within the groove ata considerable angle to the direction of the groove. Even with the form of canted wheel. shown the wheel slightly diagonalizes in the groove because the groove elements do not lie within planes but progress as a spiral.

At the same time that the operating portion 24' of the roller or disc is engaging the metal to press it outwardly into the thread form, the opposite side of the roller or disc must clear from the innermost part of the metal at the opposite inner side. The inner rib upon the opposite side of the operating face of the roller or disc will obviously have an opposite direction of slope to the axis ofthe thread as compared with the slope of the grooved side of the thread interior within which the part 24: of the roller or disc operates.

In order that the roller or disc at its nonworking side may clear the interior thread rib at thatside it is necessary that the roller or disc shall be less thanthe internally threaded diameter by an amount at least as much as the internal thread depth. Though obviously it is not essential that this size be closely approached, I find it desirable to. come near to it in order to get the largest size of roller or disc available.

It will be furtherevident that the character the means of giving rotation, the axial feed, of support for the tube and wheel or disc. the form of guide by which therolling member'is held torotate diagonally and the means of giving outside thread form support are immaterial to my broader invention and immaterial to the idea of progressively pressing individual turns of metal into a thread form in a line of pressure corresponding to the general plane of the lead of the thread.

It will be evident that my process of rolling permits a thin, tubular nipple to berolled before the initially closed end has been cut and from the inside-outwardly. The advantage of this will be appreciated when it is recognized that the discharge opening is much smaller than the walls of the nipple in which the thread is rolled and that many tubes are never punctured at the discharge end until it is intended to discharge them.

In View of my invention and disclosure variations and modificationsto meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain part or all of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, clainiallsuch in so far as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my invention.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1v The method of forming exterior threads upon a discharge nipple integral with a collapsible tube, which consists in forming the discharge nipple initially closed and with a cylindrical side wall of thiclrness comparable with that of the breast of the tube, in supporting one side of the wall spirally along the contour of the groove of the intended thread and in pressing the opposite side of the wall progressively, along one turn at a time to press the wall into the support and removing the support to permit withdrawal of the collapsible tube.

2. The method of forming a. thread upon the thin cylindrical discharge nipple wall of soft material in a collapsible tube, which consists in supporting the outside of the nipple along the contour of the intended thread and in pressing the metal of the tube outwardly progressively along the path of an individual turn of the thread at a time out wardly between lines of support, beginning at the filling end of the nipple and advancing toward the discharge end of the nipple.

3. The method of forming a thread upon an initially closed discharge nipple of a collapsible tube, which consists in forming the nipple with thin side walls, supporting the side walls externally along spiral lines corresponding with the bottoms of th thread grooves, and rolling the thread from the interior outwardly at an angle to the axis of the thread.

4:. The method of rolling a thread by a rotatable tool within a thin tubular nipple oi. soft metal arid of small diameter, which consists in supporting the nipple from the outside along the path of the grooves of the thread and in, revolving the tool about the axis of the thread at the same time advancing it axially of the thread from the rear of the nipple toward its discharge end.

5. The method of rolling a thread by rotatable tool within a thin tubular nipple of soft metal and of small diameter, which consists in supporting the nipple from the outside along the path of the grooves of? the thread, in revolving the tool about the axis or" the thread at the same time advancing it axially of the thread and in rotating the tool about an axis at an angle to the axis of the thread and nearly perpendicular to plane through the path of thread travel at the portion being operated upon.

6. The method of making a threaded out let nipple for a collapsible tube, which consists in forming the outlet i ple initially closed at the end and with sn walls comparable in thickness with the thickness of the breastof the tube, in holding the nipple externally in correspondence with the bottoms of the grooves of the intended thread, in rolling the thread progressively, one turn at a time, from the inside outwardly and from the rear toward the closed end, and in the facing of the end of the nipple.

"7. The method of forming a thread in a very thin cylindrical vrall of soft material and small diameter intended to have outlet smaller than the thread at one end, which. consists in supporting the wall erfieriorly along a spiral line corresponding to the bottoms of the thread and in swelling the wall from the inside outwardly between the points of support to form the ribs of the taread.

8. The method of forming a thread upon the discharge nipple of a collapsible tube, which consists in forming a nipple of very thin material of cylindrical shape, in sup porting the cylinder externally between the outward swells of the thread, and in rolling the metal of the cylinder from the inside outwardly into the space between the supports following the contour of the intended thread and beginning at the filling end of the tube nipple,

9. The method of forming a thread upon the discharge nipple of a collapsible tube, which consists in forming a nipple of very thin material of cylindrical shape. in suppo ing the cylinder externally between the outward swells of the thread and in rolling the metal of? the cylinder from the inside out wardly into the space between the supports, following the contour of the intended thread and beginning at the filling end of the tube nipple, in supporting the nipple at the discharge end by extra metal during the thread forming operation, and in removing the e2;- tra metal after the thread has been formed.

10. The method of rolling a thread from the inside upon a cylindrical discharge nipple initially closed at one end, integral with a collapsible dispensing tube, which consists in inserting the rolling tool from the rear, in revolving the tool about the axis of the thread, while advancing it in agreement with the thread pitch, in tilting the axis of the tool so that the tool fits the contour of the thread being formed, in rotating the tool upon its own axis, and in supporting the nipple externally between the contours of the thread to be rolled.

11. In mechanism for threading a collapsible tube having a thin-walled cylindrical discharge nipple, an exterior removable thread form gripping the cylindrical wall of the nipple, a tubular mount for the body of the collapsible tube, a rotary shaft within the tubular mount, a tool revoluble with the shaft and having an axis such that the tool fits in the interior groove of the intended thread, means for supporting the several parts, and means for rotating the shaft and concurrent- 1y advancing it at the same pitch rate as the pitch of the thread 12. In mechanism for threading a collapsible tube having a thin-walled cylindrical discharge nipple, an exterior removable thread form gripping the cylindrical wall of the nipple, a tubular mount for the body of the collapsible tube, a rotary shaft within the tubular mount, a tool revoluble with the shaft and having an axis such that the tool fits in the interior groove of the intended th ead, means for supporting the several parts, means for rotating the shaft and concurrently advancing it at the same pitch rate as the pitch of the thread, and an adjustment for the longitudinal position of the spindle at any given angular position'thereof to bring the tool into agreement with the internal groove position of the thread 13. In mechanism for threading a collapsible tube having a thin-Walled cylindrical discharge nipple, an exterior removable thread form gripping the cylindrical wall of the nipple, a tubular mount for the body of the collapsible tube, a rotary shaft within the tubular mount, a tool revoluble with the shaft and having an axis such that the tool fits the interior groove of the thread, means for supporting the several parts, means for rotating the shaft and concurrently advancing it at the same pitch rate as the pitch of the thread, an adjustment of the longitudinal position of the shaft at any given angular position thereof to bring the tool into agreement with the internal groove position of the thread, a take-up for lost motion in the feeding of the shaft.

14. A threading implement for rolling a thread from the interior of a cylindrical discharge nipple wall of a collapsible tube outwardly, comprising a tubular mount for the tube, a shaft movable within the tubular support, means for rotating the shaft and for advancing it progressively in correspondence with the spiral advance of the thread, a bearing in said shaft having an axis diagonal to the axis of the shaft, a rotatable tool su port in said bearing, and a roller tool on saicl sup port off-center with respect to the axis of the shaft to fit the internal groove of the thread.

15. In a machine for rolling a thread from the inside outwardly of a cylindrical discharge nozzle integral with a collapsible tube, a rotatable shaft, a mount for the shaft adapted to fit within the tube, a removable external thread form adapted to surround the nipple, an operating tool carried by the shaft and means for rotating the shaft.

16. In a machine for rolling a thread from the inside outwardly of a cylindrical discharge nozzle integral with a collapsible tube, a rotatable shaft, a mount for the shaft adapted to fit within the tube, a removable external thread form adapted to surround the nipple, a rotary operating tool carried by the spindle fitting the internal groove of the thread, means for rotating the shaft, a differential thread adjustment for the longitudinal position of the tool with respect to its angular position, one of the threads being used to advance the spindle in correspondence with the spiral advance of the thread.

17. A machine for forming a thread upon a cylindrical thin-walled discharge nipple of a collapsible tube, comprising an external thread form adapted to surround the metal, a roller adapted to engage the inside of the metal to roll it outwardly within the walls of the form, a support for the roller diagonal to the axis of the intended thread and permitting the roller to rotate approximately in the plane of the lead of the thread, a rotatable support revolving the roller about the axis of the thread, and means for rotating and advancing the sec-0nd support to carry the working edge of the roller through the spiral path of the thread.

EDWIN H. BARKER. 

